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Gvl sheets for flooring on wooden beams. How to make gypsum board floors

Before laying most finishes, such as laminate, linoleum or carpet, it is necessary to pre-level the floor surface. Great solution in such cases, the application gypsum fiber sheets. This finishing material made of gypsum, the reinforcing element in these sheets are loose cellulose fibers and various technological additives. GVL sheets are distinguished by the absence of a shell, uniformity of structure and more high rates density and strength than drywall.

The most important advantages of this material are environmental friendliness and resistance to combustion.

The use of gypsum fiber sheets significantly increases the soundproofing characteristics of the floor. Another advantage of this finishing material is the ability to retain heat, so GVL for the floor combines the functions of a subfloor and insulation. Using GVL sheets, you perform the screed in a dry and clean way and you can immediately start laying finish coat.

There is a moisture-resistant variety of this material - GVLV, and ordinary GVL sheets. They are used in different rooms.

Moisture-resistant sheets of GVL are used in rooms with high humidity, and ordinary sheets are laid on the floor in residential and industrial premises, where there is no risk of leaks in water supply systems and high humidity.

Mounting Features

Before proceeding with the collection of a dry screed from GVL sheets, on wood or iron concrete base lay a layer of waterproofing material. Expanded clay is most often used for this purpose, as it levels and insulates the floor well. However, the very first layer that you put directly on the surface of the floors should be polyethylene with a thickness of 200 microns. On some floors, you can lay glassine or roofing felt. This very first layer will take over the function of the vapor barrier.

Video - Which backfill to choose for a dry floor screed

As additional layers between expanded clay and GVL sheets, polystyrene foam boards can be placed. This technique guarantees increased heat and sound insulation and can be used, for example, in children's rooms. So you can get rid of the dissatisfaction of the neighbors about the noisy games of your child. Also, under the GVL sheets, you can lay any engineering communications. Between the GVL sheets and the finish coat, you can mount a water or electric underfloor heating. This feature can be useful to you when arranging a bedroom, nursery, kitchen, bathroom and hallway, in a word - in any room where you may need additional floor heating and air in the room.

The installation of a base floor made of medium-sized gypsum boards, approximately 1.5 m x 1 m, with a thickness of 1 cm to 1.2 cm, is quite quick and simple, as it is based on the principle of "dry operations". The fastest installation of the floor is carried out using double sheets glued at the factory with folded ends. If for some reason you cannot purchase double GVL boards, then simply lay the sheets in two layers. The second method, of course, is less convenient, but it allows you to get out of the situation and get a perfectly flat base floor.

The standard length of a GVL sheet is 2.5 m, and the width is 1.2 m. The most common thickness is approximately 10 mm. In order to avoid chalking, each sheet is impregnated with a water repellent and a specialized composition that prevents this phenomenon and acts as a primer. Each slab has one of the sides carefully polished.

Other important characteristics of moisture resistant and conventional gypsum fiber sheets

No. p / p	Name of characteristic GVLV and GVL	Meaning	unit of measurement
1	Humidity	less than 1.0	%
2	Density	no more than 1200	kg/m3
3	Flexural strength	over 5.5	MPa
4	Hardness	over 22	MPa
5	Thermal conductivity	0,22−0,35	W/m*ºС

What are the consequences of errors in the installation of GVL plates

It is important to strictly follow the installation rules. If you do not cut the seam edge of the sheets that will be located near the walls, then there is a high probability of subsidence of the floor in this place. Metal beacons left in the dry screed layer can cause the floor to deform when the expanded clay shrinks. Be sure to use only dry expanded clay or dry it thoroughly, otherwise the floor is guaranteed to deform and you will have to invest your time and money in repairs again.

Video - Knauf dry floor screed with additional heat and sound insulation

Advantages and disadvantages of GVL plates

The advantages of GVL boards over other materials include the following parameters:

resistance to moisture - GVL surpasses drywall and fiberboard in this parameter;
massiveness;
high density;
flexibility;
environmental friendliness;
thermal insulation;
soundproofing;
resistance to burning (confirmed by the corresponding certificate);
GVL does not deform under the influence of temperature;
simple installation;
minimum amount of waste.

The disadvantages of GVL plates are as follows:

plates are quite heavy;
it is important to follow the rules of installation and storage, in case of violations, an increase in fragility is possible;
slabs are more expensive than drywall.

As you can see, this material has much more advantages than disadvantages.

Step-by-step instructions for installing GVL floor

Step 1

Before starting the installation of the GVL floor, you should dismantle the old flooring, boards, fiberboard sheets and logs on which the old floor lay. We remove absolutely all old materials, as a result, bare floors should remain. Be sure to carefully sweep the surface, remove all construction debris and, if possible, dust.

Step 2

On floors cleaned of old materials and debris, there may be cracks and holes. They should be eliminated by pouring a quick-hardening cement mortar with a marking of at least 150 into it, or by covering it with a mounting mixture. Alabaster is also suitable for this purpose.

Step 3

It is necessary to make marks of the top level of backfill. For this stage of work, you will need a laser or water level. The height of the marks can vary from 2 to 6 cm. This range depends on the unevenness of the floors. As a result, the base floor will be located 2 cm higher, as the thickness of the double GVL sheet will be added.

Step 4

Ceilings are completely ready for waterproofing. The entire surface should be covered with plastic wrap if the floors are concrete, and glassine and bituminized paper can be laid on a wooden surface. Sheets of waterproofing material should overlap, overlapping each other by 20-25 cm. The edges must be glued with mounting tape.

The film should go on the walls and its edge should be located at least 2 cm above the marks made on the level. Glue the waterproofing to the walls with mounting tape.

Step 5

If the GVL floor will have communications on the floor, then all wires must be carefully hidden in a protective corrugation and fixed on the floor. It is important to take into account that between the corrugation with wires and the GVL plates there should be a layer of expanded clay no thinner than 2 cm. If necessary, adjust the height of the marks.

Step 6

To eliminate the appearance of so-called sound bridges, there are two options for working. You can glue the perimeter of the room with a foam rubber edge tape 10 cm wide and 1 cm thick. To increase the speed of work, we recommend purchasing a self-adhesive tape, if it is not available, fix a simple foam tape with mounting tape.

You can also use edging tape for soundproofing. mineral wool or polyethylene foam. These materials perfectly perform the function of protecting the finished floor from deformations that can be caused by thermal expansion.

After the laying of the soundproofing tape is completed, it is necessary to cut off the excess, focusing on the upper floor, including the backfill level and the thickness of the GVL slab.

Step 7

We start backfilling expanded clay. Gently sprinkle expanded clay with a fraction of no more than 0.5 cm on the vapor barrier layer. Be sure to wear a respirator, as when expanded clay is poured out of bags, a large amount of dust will inevitably rise into the air.

Step 8

The next step is to level the expanded clay using metal profile guide beacons. Be sure to use a level when performing this operation. If you use a water level, then when calculating the distance between the profile, be guided by the length of the level. The ends of the tool should lie on adjacent guides, which will subsequently serve as a guide and support for the rule. Some masters find it convenient to use the water level instead of the rule. This technique gives additional control over the thickness of the expanded clay layer. Level the layer of backfill meter by meter.

Pay special attention to tamping the material against walls, in doorways and in the corners of the rooms. Perform this work only in a respirator to prevent dust from entering the respiratory tract.

After completing this stage of work, be sure to remove the guides, and fill the resulting voids with expanded clay. In order not to deform the leveled and compacted expanded clay, use GVL sheets as special "islands". However, any similar materials are suitable for this purpose. For example, waste fiberboard or plywood. The size of the islands should not be less than 50x50 cm.

Step 9

Additionally, the floor can be insulated and soundproofed; for this, sheets of drywall and foam plastic are laid under the GVL

Joints are glued during installation

Proceed with the installation of GVL plates should be from the corner located farthest from the door. This will eliminate the possibility of damage to the leveled dry expanded clay screed. The edge of the sheet, located against the wall, should rest against the edge tape. The seam edges of adjacent plates must be coated with PVA glue in order to obtain a strong “lock”. Then, every 10-15 cm, it is necessary to screw in self-tapping screws with a length of at least 2 cm. Thus, the perimeter of each sheet will be strengthened in two ways.

When laying the second row of GVL boards, move the joints so as to obtain the effect brickwork. Use a jigsaw to cut the boards to size.

In cases where the floor base is very uneven and the thickness of the expanded clay layer is from 6 to 10 cm, it is necessary to lay the second layer on top of the first layer of GVL sheets. When laying the second layer, work should begin from the corner opposite the entrance to the room. Carefully watch that the seams between the plates of the first and second layers do not coincide and do not overlap.

Step 10

When the laying of the GVL floor is completed, it is necessary to putty the seams between the sheets and those places where the screws are screwed. Additionally, you can use reinforcing tape. When laying GVL floors in the bathroom and in the kitchen, it is worth using special means for waterproofing joints with walls and seams between sheets.

You can start laying the final floor covering a day after finishing work with GVL slabs, during which time the glue and putty will have time to dry. On top you can put tiles, laminate, linoleum or any other coating. Use a specialized underlay if necessary.

Video - GVL for the floor

In the understanding of the average layman, the floor is a covering with which his bare feet, dressed in slippers or shoes, come into contact. In fact, this is a complex-composite structure, including, at a minimum, a solid rough foundation, a leveling layer that creates the base for laying the coating, and the coating itself. The formation of a leveling layer is the most time-consuming task, which will be quickly solved by gypsum sheets, which facilitate and speed up this process.

Gypsum fiber sheets - clean work, dry screed

Well-known among builders, sheets with the abbreviation GVL are modernized descendants of materials that were once called “dry plaster”. In the production of strong solid sheets, fluff pulp fibers are used, which act as a reinforcing component, and gypsum. The material obtained as a result of semi-dry pressing is distinguished by excellent technical qualities: excellent load bearing capacity, no bending deformation, resistance to burning, low thermal conductivity.

GVL floor installation - clean, easy, convenient

The list of advantages is complemented by important technological advantages:

simple operational laying of gvl on the floor;
no waste, which is especially attractive for economical owners;
the ability to almost immediately lay the topcoat without waiting long term hardening, as it should be when installing a floor with a cement screed.

The dominant technological advantage of GVL is the ability to level the surface in the shortest possible time without wet, dusty, dirty work.

Gypsum fiber leveling sheets are suitable for flooring:

over concrete slabs and beam ceilings;
on top of the leveling structure, for the construction of which logs were used;
on top of a polymer and sand-cement screed.

GVL floor improves the thermal performance of the room

The leveling element of the gvl floor, in addition to all its priorities, increases the insulating properties of the structure due to its excellent insulating qualities. In addition, the material takes part in the formation of an optimal level of humidity for breathing. It absorbs vaporous water when it is in excess in the surrounding atmosphere and releases it back when there is a lack of moist suspension in the air.

Expanded clay is an environmentally friendly porous material, which is obtained by swelling low-melting clay rock. It is used for insulation and soundproofing rooms. We will talk in detail about the material, its characteristics and methods of application, in the following article:.

Types of gypsum fiber sheets

For the construction of a prefabricated base, two types of material can be purchased, they are distinguished different types gvl for the floor perimeter dimensions and plate power:

Standard GVL They look like regular drywall boards. Their dimensions are regulated by GOST R51829-2001, they are 1200 × 1500 mm. This technological material is used not only for flooring, it is also used for leveling walls, forming partitions and creating a number of architectural elements.
Small format GVL. They are two sheets connected by gluing together with mismatched, intersecting central axes, displaced in two vector directions. Due to the displacement of one gypsum fiber sheet relative to another, a simple locking system is formed - a fold, which facilitates the installation and connection of the elements of the leveling layer. They are produced according to the requirements of technical specifications, small-format sheets are produced in two versions: 1200 × 600, and also 1500 × 500 millimeters.

Standard gypsum board

Small-format gvl for the floor

Often, for the construction of two, three or more layers of a prefabricated base, sheets of equivalent sizes are used, but it is possible to use elements with different geometric parameters. For example, the first horizon from the insulating layer is laid using small-format elements, the second from large-format slabs, or vice versa. The main condition is the mismatch of their direction, since the installation and gluing of each layer must be carried out "in cross" with the previous one.

The specifics of laying GVL elements

A number of finishing and building materials manufacturers produce prefabricated leveling systems with a complete set of sheets and fasteners for the construction of a single and multi-layer leveling structure. Against the backdrop of a mass of proposals from domestic and foreign manufacturers, it stands out. The international concern provides buyers with instructions on how to assemble gypsum board floors.

A specific feature of the GVL floor construction is the uniform displacement of the panels, as a result of which the floor layer resembles a brick laying in plan, due to which the area of contact of each of the elements with the sheets located next to it increases. This technology provides maximum durability.

Attention. The displacement of the butt joints in each of the subsequent rows of GVL relative to the previous ones should not be less than 20 cm. Optimal size displacement of butt joints 25 cm.

Gypsum fiber floor installation

The beginning of the construction of a dry screed is preceded by standard floor preparation. The rough concrete base is repaired and ground if necessary. If it is planned to lay gvl on a wooden floor, the reliability of fasteners and wood elements is checked, the horizontalness of all components of the structure constructed from timber.

So, the order of work:

A slight unevenness of the cement base (up to 5 mm) is eliminated by local filling of the recesses and sinks with a repair mortar. To level large differences (more than 20 mm), fine-grained expanded clay is used.
The draft surface is covered with a waterproofing layer, the edge of which along the perimeter is bent onto each of the walls. For a concrete base, polyethylene overlapped in strips (0.2 mm thick) is suitable as a waterproofing layer.
An insulating tape 0.1 m wide and 1 cm thick is laid along the contour of the installed dry screed. To do this, either a special tape made of expanded polystyrene is used or it is cut out of mineral wool. Other insulating materials with a similar structure will do. The compensation circuit is necessary to prevent cracking and "swelling" of the sheets, which occur due to the deformation of the floating floors. It also improves sound insulation.
GVL cutting is carried out taking into account the edge clearance.
The heater falls asleep. Basically, washed river or quarry sand is used for this, less often fine-grained expanded clay. Amorphous insulation must be aligned according to the marks marked with a level gauge. The minimum thickness of the backfill layer is 20 mm. If the thickness of this layer exceeds 10 cm, it will be necessary to construct a three-layer dry screed from GVL.
The floor structure along the logs can be insulated with stone or glass wool, you can lay polystyrene foam, cut into small slabs.
GVL is laid on top of the insulating layer in accordance with the rules described above. The gap between the gypsum fiber elements should not be more than one mm.

GVL floor device in section

Note. If it is supposed to put gvl on a wooden floor, vapor-permeable materials are used as waterproofing: corrugated or waxed paper, glassine and other vapor barrier materials.

If the installation of dry screed sheets starts from the wall located opposite the door, in order not to disturb the horizontal surface of the insulating layer, it is necessary to make a kind of path or “islands” from the plates for movement. It is recommended to start the construction of a GVL leveling system on top of thermal insulation boards from the opposite wall. Here's what we do next:

The first layer of dry screed is carefully covered with adhesive mastic or PVA dispersion. Adhesives must be applied between each layer of gypsum fiber screed if a multi-layer structure is planned.
The second layer of the screed is covered from above, the elements of which are arranged perpendicular to the direction of the elements of the lower layer. To connect large-format panels and sheets with a fold, in addition to glue, self-tapping screws are also used (there must be a distance of more than 30 cm between them). Small-format GVL are treated with glue around the perimeter and also connected with self-tapping screws, but they are installed at least 20 cm.

Laying GVL floors in two layers, sheet layout plan

Important. To work with gypsum fiber material, special self-tapping screws with double threads and a self-sinking device are required. Fasteners intended for drywall are not suitable, as they are capable of spontaneously twisting out of GVL.

You should not be afraid of too much consumption of small-format material with a fold, since the trimmings obtained in the interface area are transferred to the beginning of the next row. There will definitely be no waste. In addition, the advantages of small GVL sheets include the ability to start laying from any of the walls, which is especially important when arranging rooms of a non-standard configuration.

GVL with lock-fold

Important. A solid sheet must lie above the cross joint of the lower layer. The combination of the seams of the lower and upper layer is unacceptable.

After all work, joints and screw installation points are sealed with putty. The final work is the removal of parts of the waterproofing and edge tape protruding above the floor surface. Everything is ready for the installation of the finish coat.

The technological advantages of gypsum fiber sheets convince property owners of the possibility of doing the work themselves, which is fully justified by the simplicity of the dry screed construction scheme. Moreover, for your loved ones, the installation of GVL floors will be done with incredible accuracy, inaccessible to third-party, always in a hurry performers. Did you learn the easy process? Now forward to the implementation of plans.

For most people, the floor is the surface with which their feet come into contact while walking, on which some kind of coating lies, there is furniture and appliances. In fact, the floor is a rather complex multi-component structure, which, at a minimum, includes a solid rough base that forms the basis for laying the future coating, a leveling layer and the selected finish coating.

Installation of a GVL floor will not take much time and labor, and one of the advantages of this material is the absence of dust and dirt during work.

The most time-consuming task is to create a correct and high-quality leveling layer. However, modern building materials and structures make it possible to cope with this problem in the shortest possible time. In this case, we mean the floor of GVL. The use of this material allows you to reduce the time and effort spent on the arrangement of the leveling layer. With a strong desire, you can make a floor from GVL yourself. However, before that, you need to familiarize yourself with the main features of such structures.

What you need to know about GVL floors?

GVL, aka gypsum fiber sheet, is a modernized “descendant” of materials known collectively as “dry plaster”. Moisture-resistant sheets are made using fluff pulp fibers and gypsum. Waste paper performs the function of a reinforcing component. In the process of semi-dry pressing from such a mixture, it is possible to obtain a material with excellent technical specifications, among which:

resistance to ignition;
high bearing capacity;
minimum thermal conductivity;
no bending deformations.

GVL flooring has many advantages:

quick and easy styling;
waste-free installation, which will especially please economical users;
the possibility of laying the final floor covering without the need to wait for a long curing period, which is typical for the installation of floors with cement-sand and cement screeds.

The most important technological advantage of GVL is that this material allows you to equip the floor in the shortest possible time, and there is no dirt and dust during the installation of the elements.

With the help of leveling gypsum fiber sheets, you can equip the floor:

over wooden and concrete floors;
above the leveling structure created using the log;
over cement-sand and polymer screeds.

The GVL floor has the highest insulating properties, which improves the insulating characteristics of the finished product. In addition, the material contributes to the creation optimal level humidity in the room. Sheets absorb water vapor when there is an excess of it in the room air and release it back into the surrounding atmosphere when the humidity drops below normal.

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Gypsum fiber sheet is a finishing material produced in sheets, it is similar in characteristics to gypsum boards, but surpasses it in all respects. A gypsum-fiber sheet is produced from gypsum used in construction, and it is reinforced with loose cellulose made from waste paper. It is less known than drywall, because its cost is somewhat higher.

Gypsum board floors

Gypsum fiber sheet has several unique properties that are not available to most building materials:

Gypsum fiber sheets for flooring

Today, gypsum-fiber sheets are used for floors, because they have the necessary strength and other quality characteristics. Almost any finishing floor covering can be laid on top of them, because the material will provide reliable and flat surface. Its advantage is that the sheets are easy to lay on their own, which will help save on hiring a professional team. Yes, and this can be done extremely quickly, which is indispensable for emergency repairs.

You can use gypsum-fiber sheets in almost any room, but if in a room high humidity, then you need to use a special type of material that can withstand even high humidity - moisture resistant (GVLV).

Proper laying of gypsum boards

Laying gypsum board floors does not require skill, but it is important to follow the procedure, otherwise the design will not have the required performance characteristics.

Scheme of laying GVL on the floor

In order for the floor to last a long time, it must be vapor barrier, for which polyethylene film is used, it should cover the joints, and also go out onto the walls, if excess is needed, you can always cut it off.

After that, who will play the role of the foundation. This inexpensive hollow material is able to prevent heat leakage, and it also perfectly insulates sound, and its advantages include cheapness, safety, and durability.

Advice: it is better to use expanded clay of fine fraction, but usually several sizes of material are used for better strength

You can not worry that it will create an additional load on the main floor slab, because its weight is very small.

Gypsum sheet screed device

After pouring, you should perform a rather complicated procedure: align it using the water level. To facilitate the process, you should initially pour it on the floor evenly, and then level it using a level. This seemingly simple procedure can take several hours.

Next, you need put beacons, without which high-quality installation of the floor is impossible. You can use products made from aluminum rules with fixed plaster corners. The first guide should be installed at the window, because it is from here that the main height of the floor will go. If necessary, during the installation of beacons, you can add or remove excess expanded clay.

How to lay down and fix GVL on the floor

The second beacon is level with the first, and the third with the second, and so on. You should try to maintain maximum accuracy, because the error in the process will only increase. You can achieve the highest possible accuracy if you use a water level, aligning the first and last beacons with it.

Important! The main thing is not to spoil the base of the floor with your feet, because otherwise the expanded clay will have to be leveled again.

To securely fasten the transverse joints, an offset in the laying of sheets of material should be made. For these purposes, you can cut one sheet. To achieve the best edge fastening strength, they need to be smear with glue, and also connect self-tapping screws.

If it will be used as a topcoat, then the joints between the sheets of material should be sealed with plaster.

Warm floor on GVL

You can put and on floors made of gypsum-fiber sheets, but this is not so easy to do, because it is important to observe some nuances. If one layer of material is laid, then special grooves must be made on its surface with the help of a milling cutter, where the underfloor heating cable will be placed. But in this case, gypsum-fiber sheets must be primed.

note that it is better not to lay the cable under the GVL,
After all, he himself acts as a heat insulator.

It should be done quite differently if three layers of gypsum-fiber sheets are laid. In this case, the second layer must be assembled from strips whose width would be equal to the cable laying step with a gap for it. Then it fits into the grooves, which should be covered with glue, preferably tiled, and the third layer is started on top.

Important!
The main thing is not to break through the cable with self-tapping screws.

If two layers are supposed to be used, the same is done with the top layer. It happens that a person cannot cope with the procedure for installing the system on his own, in which case it can be entrusted to professionals.

Gypsum fiber sheets are perfect for the construction of a pure floor, which will be a good basis for almost any topcoat. The main advantage of this material is that it can be installed using dry method, which saves time and money, because a high-quality cement screed is not at all cheap.

The advantage of gypsum fiber sheets is that they are easy to install, so it is possible to save on hiring a professional work team, and this material goes well with heat-insulating and vapor barrier coatings.

September 28, 2016
Specialization: master of internal and outdoor decoration(plaster, putty, tile, drywall, lining, laminate and so on). In addition, plumbing, heating, electrical, conventional cladding and balcony extensions. That is, repairs in an apartment or house were done on a turnkey basis with all necessary types works.

If we are talking about GVL, then I will immediately say that this is an excellent finishing material, which is also called dry screed or dry plaster. The advantages here are clear and, above all, it is the speed of installation in the absence of dirt, which inevitably occurs with a “wet” finish. I suggest you consider how to use this styling material ceramic tiles and watch the video in this article on this topic.

A little about GVL and GKL

The abbreviation GVL stands for Gypsum Fiber Sheet.

Comparative performance characteristics of GKL and GVL

Table of geometric parameters

Explanation to the table: * - standard parameters, ** - parameters are set at the request of the customer, *** - parameters are planned for release.

Proper styling in 10 steps

Brief description of installation steps:

First of all, it is best for you to remove the old wood flooring, as this will be a time bomb - the wood rots over time. In addition, you should also dismantle the logs, reaching the floor or the ground, if it is in the private sector - laying GVL on a wooden floor under tiles is not entirely good, although it is possible. Construction debris, if it is not large, is not necessary to remove, although it depends on your desire;
Next, you need to prepare a rough surface - if it is soil, then plan it and fill it with a sand-gravel pillow, and if it is overlapping, then close up the joints. By the way, the joints do not have to be sealed with cement-sand mortar - you can use alabaster to speed up the process;
Make marks on the wall with a laser or water level, but to fill the insulation, transfer them lower to the required level;
Lay cut-off waterproofing. Dense construction polyethylene is usually used on concrete, and if you still have wooden floor, then glassine or bitumen paper is appropriate here;
Lay all communications that will be hidden under the floor. If this is wiring, then it is best to pack it in a cable channel in the form of a metal corrugated hose;
Installation of edge tape. You can use ready-made material from the store, but you can make such an edging from improvised means, such as mineral wool, foam rubber, and the like;
Installing beacons. For this, it is most convenient to use perforated beacon profiles, fixing them with putty;

Now you can fill in expanded clay, but its fraction should not exceed 5 mm - it can be either a fine fraction or expanded clay sand. All this mass is planned according to previously installed beacons;
We proceed to the installation of gypsum-fiber boards and connect them together with self-tapping screws;
Let's start laying ceramic tiles. If another front cover is implied, then at this final stage, the heads of the self-tapping screws are sealed and the joints are reinforced with sickle.

Let's start installation

For some reason, some people prefer to leave the old plank floor and put GVL on top of it, arguing that the boards are oak or larch and this, they say, additional insulation. Of course, this is a master's business, but I would not do this, especially if a warm floor is provided.

Whatever the wood, it is exposed to moisture and various woodworms. So your best bet is to dismantle all the available wood and remove any wood chips as a potential material for mold to form.

Now let's see what a rough surface is. We need it to be rigid and even, and for this, most likely, certain steps need to be taken. If these are overlappings, then everything is simple - we close up the joints and that's it. But the soil needs to be planned and tamped, and then a sand or sand-gravel pillow is added, which also needs to be tamped.

Now we need to determine the level of the floor, which, in fact, is equal to the level of backfilling of insulation, that is, expanded clay, and it must be at least 20 mm. But at this height, it is quite difficult to make marks, especially if you use a water level, therefore, you can mark the corners at a height of 50-80 cm, so that you can later move them down with a tape measure.

On the this moment it is too early to transfer them, since you have yet to install a cut-off waterproofing and an edge. To do this, simply beat off the line using the chokeline according to the marks - this line will come in handy a little later.

And now it is the turn of laying the cut-off waterproofing - we have already talked about the materials (polyethylene, glassine, bituminous paper) - it remains to figure out its installation. This is done quite simply. You need to overlap the strips with your own hands, with a margin of 10-15 cm.

And besides, in order not to accidentally break the coating by hitting it with your foot or in another way, in some places you can fasten it with adhesive tape. Raise the cut-off edges to the wall just above the level of the future finishing coating - the excess will be cut off later.

After laying the cut-off waterproofing, you can proceed with the installation of the edge tape around the perimeter of the room, and the overlap of the waterproofing on the wall can be put both above and below the edge. The tape will not only make the floor more deaf, but will also serve as a buffer in case of possible deformation of the coating. In the event that you have communications under the floor, now is the time to lay them.

The principle of mounting beacons: profiles are marked in white, threads stretched according to the level are blue

And now the question may arise of how to lay the lighthouse profiles according to the level, if we do not have the opportunity to beat off the control line on the wall, because it is now closed with cut-off waterproofing and edge tape. In fact, everything is very simple. In each corner, a peg is hammered directly into the floor or a long self-tapping screw is screwed in (depending on the rough base) and a thread is tied to these milestones around the perimeter.

The previously broken line, which is slightly higher, will help you raise or lower the thread to the required level. Just step back from it at the same distance, using an ordinary tape measure for measurements.

Set the beacon profiles along this thread (it is most convenient to glue them on a dotted path from the putty), but these will only be the edges of the profiles. The profile itself can be aligned using the rule, and then, pulling nylon threads from above (across the crate), as in the diagram above, check the virtual plane made.

If a layer of expanded clay for insulation is not enough for you, then you can do the following: drywall is laid on a leveled area (its price is less than that of drywall), and extruded polystyrene foam 20 mm thick is placed on it. The result is a new draft base, but already well insulated, for laying a dry screed.
But this method is good for floating floors. It is better not to use it for ceramic tiles - here the instruction requires a hard base.

From the far corner of the room, so as not to damage the leveled coating, we begin laying. And since it will not be a tile on the GVL in the bathroom on the wall, but a dry screed with the subsequent installation of tiles, we will use panels 20 mm thick. We put the first panel in a corner, but if there is no 90 ° there, then we will have to cut the GVLV to the shape of the corner in the room. But the sheet must necessarily rest against the edge tape on both sides.

Now GVL is made two-layer, so you do not have to double-lay the sheets. However, the joints should be coated with glue, and in order not to use expensive Knauf glue, you can use our native PVA.

But glue alone is not enough to fix the joints - they are additionally strengthened with screws. To do this, you can use wood screws with a length of 25 mm. The step between them should be maintained on the order of 10-15 cm, but not more than 30 cm.

Now you just have to do the laying of ceramic tiles on a dry screed. This is very easy, since you have an almost perfect surface, and you just have to monitor the thickness of the adhesive layer.